Clarinet and like wind instrument



April 1957 c. F. LEHMAN,' JR., ETIAL 2,789,455

CLARINET AND'LIKE wmu INSTRUMENT Filed March 12, 1954 1 INVENTOR$ 01,421.15: f. LAW/1AM, MW, DAN/[L A. MA/w/vm HTTORNEXS.

United States Patent CLARINETAND LIKE WIND INSTRUMENT Charles E..Lehinan, Jr.,and Daniel A. MeAninch, Fort Worth, Tex.

ApplicationMarch 12, 1954, Serial-No. 415,849

6 Claims. (Cl. 84-432) Theipresent invention relates to a clarinet and like Wind instrument. and more particularly toa. clarinet and likeinstrument constructed in accordance with theBoehm system.

itisene primary object of this invention to provide a musicalfinstrumentof the character indicatedlin which the keys are arranged to develop certain musculature ina childs hands whereby the hand, and finger muscles will be properly developed for the handling of larger instruments, and in this. sense, the present improvementsare an efiective therapeutic and training device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a conventional size instrumentwhich can be, played by children even as young as five, six, or seven years, or by older children and adults having very small hands.

Another object ofthisinvention is to provide aninstrument of the character indicated wherein the stretching of the fingersas isnecessary in conventional key mechanisms is changedto prevent a loss, of touch due to. fatigue both in adults and in children. In other words, the fingers are in a relaxed position, when playing the instrument, whereby the touch becomes more sensitive.

Another object of this, invention is to provide an instrument offthe character indicated whichcan be played considerably faster because of the reduction of fatigue.

Another object of this invention is: to provide an instrumentvofthevcharacter indicated having a shorter span of the keys to eliminate eye strain for the beginning student whowatches the keys while playing, thuseliminating the reflection of such eye strain in; a general fatigue to other partsvof the body with its consequent lessening of thedegree of-iphysical ability of the student.

Another object of this invention is to provide total plateaufingeringfor all ofthe openings including certain finger engaging portions which are ofiset from the valves or stops operated thereby so as to provide a better spacing of the plateau fingering.

Another object of this invention istoprovide an in strument ofthe character indicated iniwhich the clusters of valve or stop operating keys are relocated to facilitate operation of certain ones thereof, by means of the. little fingen of theleft hand-, and the first finger of the right hand (that is, the side keys), and to reduce the span from the first finger hole of the right hand to the cluster of keys operated by the little finger of the right hand.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but one of a few of the various ways in which the prin ciple of the invention may be employed.

2,789,455 Patented Apr; 23, 1957 In said annexed drawing:

Fig. 1' is a front elevation view of a Boehrn system clarinet embodying the present improvements; and

Fig.2 isa fragmentaryrear elevation view showing the octave key and plateau fingered thumb hole.

Referring now more particularly to said drawing, the instrument shown, is asaforesaid, a conventional Boehm system clarinet including valveor stop operating, keys 1-16, for openingselected ones of the 18 holes usually formed in instruments of this type, and two series of holes which, in the-conventional instrument,are adapted to be closed or stopped by the thumb, first finger, second; finger, and third finger of the, left hand and. by the first finger, second, finger, and thirdfinger of the right hand, respectively.

In the present case, instead of closing said series of holes (or movable rings: registering therewith) with, the thumb. andfingers aforesaidvaives (or plateau fingering) 17-23 are provided for this purpose, and for achieving the objects of the present invention, the left hand first and secondjfinger engaged buttons (18 and 19) of, the valves 18, and 19Aarespaced apart 4" rather tlianl i s as on the conventional, instrument, the. holes stopped by valves 18; and19A yet being spaced apart exactly the same as on the conventional instrument. Next, the right hand first and second finger engaged buttons of the valves 21 and 22 tute-spacedapart 1 center to center rather than 1" as on conventional instruments. Likewise, the spacing between the right hand; second and third finger engaged buttons of valvesl22 and'23 is instead of in a. conventionalinsirnment, the distance 24-fronr the center of, the hole coveredby valve 21 to the bottom of the lowermost oneof the-cluster of keys 2,4, 14, and 15 whichare operated by the little finger-of the right hand is 3 /4", whereasin, the present improvements, the distance 25. fromthe center of the finger engaged button of valve 21 to the lowermost one of the keys 2, 4, 14, and 15 is. 2%".

The cluster.- ofkcys 7, 1 1, 12, and 13, which aresometimesreferred to as side keys, are adapted to be selectively operated by thefirst finger of, the right hand, and in a conventional, instrument the distance from the center, of, the holecovered by valve: 23 to the bottom of the sidekey 7.is.2V2;" andto the bottom; of the side key 11 is 27/8". Contrary to,this, and, in orderto achieve theobjects, of this invention, these distances designated by the reference numerals 26 and 27 respectively are 2 and 2%,.

Anot er modification is the location of the. key 7a (adapted to. be; operated by. the third finger of the left hand, inta standard instrument) just above the hole covered by valve, 19A a distance of; 1," below the center of the: hole covered by. valve 18 rather than 1%." below said hole. Thus, said key 7a is arrangedlfor operation by the third: finger; of the left-hand. Next; the cluster of eys-1, nd 11 (for, peration by; the little finger of-the lefthand), has, been; extended upwardlyw so that the distances; for theholeicovered by valve 18, as designated by reference numerals 28, 29, 39, and 31, are 1%", 1%", 2%", 2%", respectively, instead of 2%", 2%", 3", 3%" as on the conventional instrument.

A still further modification is the relocation and raising of the key 5 so that, instead of being positioned to the left of the vertical center line passing through the holes covered by valves 21, 22, and 23, said key 5 is disposed to the right of such center line as viewed in Fig. 11 for convenient operation by the third finger of the right hand.

The keys 1-16 are pivotally mounted on the clarinet tubular sections 35 and 36 in conventional manner, the lower section 36 having a bell end 37 thereon, and the upper section 35 having a mouthpiece 38 thereon. As in conventional clarinets, the rear of the section 36 will have a rest thereon (not shown) for the thumb of the right hand.

In summary, in the Boehm system clarinet, the thumb of the left hand will be employed to operate the valve 17 'which closes the thumb hole, and said thumb will also be used in operating the octave key 10. The first finger of the left hand will be used for operating the valve 18 which covers the first finger hole, and said first finger will also be employed to operate the Gi-Ab key 8 and the A key 9. The second finger of the left hand will operate the button 19 of valve 19A. The third finger on the left hand will be employed to operate the button 20 of valve 20A and key 7a. The little finger of the left hand will be used to operate the cluster of keys 1, 3, 6, and 16.

The right hand thumb will, of course, be engaged with the thumb rest on the rear of the clarinet, and the first finger will be used to operate the valve 21 and the side keys 7, 11, 12, and 13, of which the keys 7 and 11 have been moved down with respect to the keys 12 and 13. The second finger of the right hand will be used to operate the valve 22. The third finger of the right hand will be used to operate the valve 23 and also the raised and repositioned key 5. The little finger of the right hand will be used to operate the cluster of keys 2, 4, 14, and 15. The key 12 is used only when playing the At or Bb in the staff, and the key 13 is used only for Eb instead of upper key 7a when playing Eb and C successively or C and Eb successively.

Thus, the increased spread of the paired keys 7, 11 and 12, 13 is of no detrimental value even though spread apart more than on the conventional instrument, since the keys 7 and 11 which are used more frequently are located for easier reach by the first finger of the right hand. In other words, the keys 7 and 11 are located only slightly above the hole covered by the valve 21.

With the foregoing objects of the invention in mind, it is thus apparent that the same are admirably fulfilled by the present invention whether the instrument be used by a child or an adult. Moreover, because of the plateau fingering throughout (valves 17-23) and the reducing of the span between keys and plateau fingered holes, very small children of the ages, say, five, six or seven years, for the first time can easily reach and finger a conventional or standard Boehm type clarinet or like wind instrument.

Although the present invention has been illustrated, particularly with reference to a Boehm system clarinet, it is to be understood that other wind instruments having keys and finger holes may be redesigned according to the present invention to provide for more rapid execution of note changes and less fatigue with improved touch.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention:

1. A Boehm system clarinet comprising upper and lower tubular sections joined together in longitudinally aligned relation and having a mouthpiece and a bell at the upper and lower ends of the respective sections, said sections each being formed with a series of three longitudinally spaced apart tone holes, corresponding series of finger-operated keys and associated valves pivotally connected to said sections whereby actuation of the keys of said upper and lower sections by the first, second, and third fingers of the left and right hands respectively move the associated valves to tone hole-closing position, the key adapted to be operated by the first finger of the left hand being superimposed on its associated valve and the keys adapted to be operated by the second and third fingers of the left hand being located longitudinally upward with respect to their associated valves to reduce the spans between said keys to approximately one-half the spans between said series of tone holes in said upper section.

2. The clarinet of claim 1 wherein the key adapted to be operated by the first finger of the right hand is longitudinally downwardly offset with respect to its associated valve to reduce the span between the right hand first and second finger operated keys to approximately threefourths of the span between the corresponding tone holes in said lower section.

3. The clarinet of claim 1 wherein said upper section has a fourth tone hole longitudinally upwardly spaced from and on the opposite side with respect to the aforesaid series of three tone holes, and a left hand thumb operated key and valve pivotally connected to said upper section for closing said fourth tone hole.

4. The clarinet of claim 1 wherein said lower section has other tone holes, and a cluster of four keys and associated valves pivotally connected to said lower section and adapted for selective operation by the little finger of the left hand for closing such other tone holes, two of such cluster of keys terminating at a level of approximately below the left hand, third finger operated key and the other two of such cluster of keys terminating respectively at a level of approximately /8 and 7s below such left hand, third finger operated key.

5. The clarinet of claim 1 wherein said upper section has other tone holes, and a cluster of side keys and associated valves pivotally connected to said upper section and adapted for selective operation by the first finger of the right hand for closing such other tone holes, two of such side keys being respectively disposed at a level approximately even with and /8" above the top of the right hand, first finger operated key.

6. The clarinet of claim 1 wherein said upper section has another tone hole for Eb in staff and Bb above staff, and a key and valve pivotally connected to said upper section for closing such another tone hole and adapted for operation by the third finger of the left hand, said key being disposed at a level between the left hand, second and third finger operated keys.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,494,251 Mason Jan. 10, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 321,082 Great Britain Oct. 31, 1929 638,862 Great Britain June 14, 1950 

